Increased fuel economy is an important goal for vehicle manufacturers. The desire for improved fuel economy may be driven by fuel costs, emissions standards (e.g., for carbon dioxide), improved range, or other reasons. One approach to improving fuel economy is using lightweight materials to reduce vehicle weight. Carbon products are generally low-density materials with good mechanical properties. Currently, carbon fiber is generally used in applications such as aerospace, wind energy, sporting goods, and high-end vehicles. These applications are generally lower in volume and higher in price compared to high-volume vehicles. Implementation of carbon products into high-volume, non-luxury vehicles in the auto industry poses some challenges. One of the challenges is developing low-cost processing technology for high-volume production. A sheet molding compound (SMC) process has been used to manufacture glass fiber reinforced parts, such as decklids, hoods, bumpers, and others. However, the same SMC process may not be suitable for carbon products due to differences in the physical properties of the two material or product types.